Securitizing the algorithm: a quantitative analysis of liberalization and securitization logics in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act

Introduction The EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) represents a global landmark in digital governance, yet the underlying political rationale structuring its provisions—securitization versus liberalization—remains underexplored. This study examines whether the AI Act constructs AI as an existential threat requiring exceptional measures or embeds it within the Union’s liberal regulatory tradition, while also developing a replicable framework for analyzing securitization in regulatory texts.